Weighing-machine.



No. 635,698. Patented Oct. 24, I899. A. L. F. MITCHELL.

WEIGHING MACHINE.

(Application filed May 6, 1898.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet Q WT N asst-3S} @WG i E x No. 635,698. Patented Oct. 24, I899. A. L. F. MITCHELL.

WEIGHING MACHINE.

(Application filed May 5, 1898.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

INVENTURL 4 .x 94. M .f W ZZ? WTNEISEEIS! 45 bucket c to overcome said lever f, the beam 1) will tilt and the detent 6 will raise the weighted lever f until the upper end of said detent passes a plate f on the lever, when the latter falls against a fixed stop 9, as

50 shown in Fig. 4. The detent e is pivoted at UNITED STATES PATENT Omuce.

ALBION L. F. MITCHELL, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, OF ON E-HALF TO THE NEIV ENGLAND AUTOMATIC \VEIGl-I- ING-MACI-IINE COMPANY, OF PORTLAND, MAINE.

WEIGHING- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 635,698, dated October 24, 1899.

Application filed May 5, 1898. Serial No. 679,765. (No model.)

T at whom, it may concern.-

Be itknown that I, ALBION L. F. MITCHELL, of Lynn, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in \VeighingMachines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to weighing-machines; and it consists in certain improve- I0 ments in construction and arrangement, which I shall now proceed to describe and claim.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,

I 5 in which Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a weighing-machine constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 represents a partial side elevation of the same, looking in the opposite direction, with certain parts removed. Fig. 3 represents an end elevation. Fig. 4 represents a detail view of one end of the apparatus with parts broken away. Fig. 5 represents a detail view of the lower endof one of the buckets. Fig. 6 represents a detail sectional view of the bifurcated feed-chute.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the figures.

Referring to the drawings, a is the frame of the machine.

b I) are oscillatory beams pivoted on knife edges at Z) Z) and carrying at their inner ends the weighing-buckets c c, which are two in number, and located below the months or outlets of a bifurcated feed-chute d for supplying the material to be weighed. The beams 12 are provided with counterweights 19 which may be moved along their outer ends in such a manner as to properly balance the buckets.

40 Each beam carries a Weighted trip-catch or detent 6, whose upper end is normally located beneath a weighted lever f, which is pivoted at f to a fixed arm 9 on the frame of the machine. Nhen sufficient material is put in the c to the beam I) and has a beveled plate 6 at its upper end, which cooperates with the beveled plate f in displacing the detent when the latter is depressed from the position shown in Fig. a by the rising of the bucket, the detent then assuming its initial position underneath the plate f, as shown in Fig. 1.

The weighted lever fhas a sliding weight f which may be adjusted to any position along the lever and fixed by means of a thumbscrew f so as to determine the weight at which the beam I) will tip.

f is a small adjusting-counterwcight operated by a thumb-screw f and located bcyond the pivotal point of the leverf.

Each of the buckets c is provided with a movable bottom or closer c, which is pivoted at c on either side of the bucket and is provided on each side with an upward extension or arm 0 which is rigidly attached to the closer c and carries a pivoted latch 0, whose purpose is to hold the bottom of the bucket closed or to permit the same to be opened, according to the position of said bucket. When one of the buckets (as the left-hand one in Fig. 2 is up, the latch c is held between a pin 0 and a lip 0 formed on the lower end of a stop-plate c, which is attached to the bucket c. The said plate has a lower inclined edge 2 and an upper vertical edge 3, and the latch c carries a small roller 0 which operates against the said portions 2 3. lVhen the bucket is up, the latch is at right angles to the edge 2 of the plate 0 and the bottom or closer c of the bucketis thereby looked closely against the body portion of said bucket. When the bucket drops, the latch 0" moves against a lower stationary pin 0 which lifts its end off of the inclined portion 2 of the plate 0 onto the vertical portion 3 thereof, as shown in Fig. 5, so that the latch is free to rise to the position shown at the right of Fig. 2. The material in the bucket, which exerts a displacing pressure against the closer, then causes the latter to open, as shown at the right of Fig. 2, and the material is discharged. The pins 0 and c are adj ustably mounted in vertical slots a formed in brackets a, which constitute parts of the frame of the machine.

In the feed-chute (Z, at the juncture of its two forks, is pivoted a deflector or shiftingvalve d, on whose arbor is mounted a crankarm (1 connected to a spring (Z which holds the deflector in its two extreme positions. (Illustrated by full and dotted lines in Fig. (5.) In one of these positions the left-hand fork of the feed-chute is opened and the right-hand fork is closed, and in the other position the right-hand fork is open and the left-hand fork closed. The sides of the chute are formed with overhanging shoulders or abutmcnts 4 4, as shown in Fig. (3, forming notches or recesses, which are occupied by the end of the deflector-valve (1 when the latter is in either of its two positions. Suflicient space is left between these shoulders and the end of the valve to permit the lodgment of residual grains of material without preventing the proper closing of the valve across theinactive feed-passage.

i 71 are two supplemental valves or cut-offs, pivoted in the lower ends of the two forks of the feed-chute and having crank-arms t" t" and springs i 2' for holding them in their extreme positions. On the arbor of the deflector d on the opposite side of the machine from the crank 61 is secured a T or double bell-crank lever d, Whose lower arm is connected by rods (1 d with cranks i secu red to the arbors of the supplemental valves 1' 2'. 'When the T-lever d and deflector dare turned in such a manner as to open one passage of the feed-chute and close the other, the same movement causes the supplemental valve i in the former passage or fork to be opened and causes the supplemental valve in the other fork to be closed. The wrist-pins 2' i of the cranks i operate in slots (1 in the ends of the rods df, this arrangement permitting the deflector d to start in its movement before the supplemental valves are operated. The T-lever d is connected by rods d d to the ends of two arms j j, pivoted at j j to the frame of the machine and located immediately below the innerends of the beams b h. Then either of said beams is depressed, it moves against the corresponding arm j and causes the deflector and valves to be operated.

7c are arms pivoted at 7& k to the frame of the machine and engaging studs 7t 70 011 the buckets c c, the said arms being designed to keep the buckets from swinging.

h h are two washers, of felt or similar material, attached to the seat-flanges (Z (Z on the two forks of the feed-chute. These Washers form a packing between the chute and the inverted-hopper-shaped tops 0 of the weighing-buckets, into which the legs or forks of the chute telescope and serve to prevent the spread of dust from the material which is being Weighed while the buckets are filling. Said washers also form yieldingbuffers to take the impact of the returning empty buckets.

The operation of the Weighing-machine is, briefly, as follows: The material to be weighed is fed through the chute cl in a steady stream from a suitable source of supply and flows into the two buckets alternately. As each bucket is filled to the required weight it antomatically tips the beam 1), on which it is supported, the outer end of the beam rising with the detent e. Said detent after slightly raising the weighted leverfbecomes disengaged from said lever, the lever-plate c slipping from under the cam-plate f. The descending bucket is thus relieved of the weight of the leverfand drops quickly. The inner end of the beam 1? strikes the arm j after the disengagement of the beam from the weighted lever f, a space being left for this purpose between the beam and the arm j when the beam is in its normal position, as shown at the right in Fig. 1. Vhen the beam strikes the arm j, the latter is depressed and moves the deflector into position to cut off the material from the branch communicating with the descending bucket and direct the material into the branch communicating with the other bucket. After this the descent of the bucket causes the re lease of the bottom 0 and the release of the charge of material into a suitable receptacle provided for its reception. As soon as it is empty the bucket automatically returns to its initial position ready for refilling and locks its movable bottom. A like filling and discharging process meanwhile ensues with the other bucket and the two work automatically without attention.

Having thus explained the nature of my invention and described a way of constructing and using the same, although without having attempted to set forth all the forms in which it may be embodied or all the modes of its use, I declare that what I claim is-- 1. In a weighing-machine, the combination of a weighing-bucket, a pivotal beam supporting the same, the weighted catch 6 pivoted to said beam and adapted to remain rigid with respect thereto when resisted Vertically in its upward movement due to the depression of the bucket, and to yield horizontally inward or in the direction of the beam-pivot when its upper end is obstructed during its downward movementdue to the return of the bucket, the hardened plate a at the upper end of said catch, said plate being beveled at its outer end on the under side, a lever f pivoted at f above and beyond the catch 0, as set forth, the weight mounted on said lever inside of its pivot or between the same and the beampivot, and adjustable along said lever, and a projection on said lever having a hardened plate f beveled at its inner end on the upper side, said hardened plate being adapted to normally slightly overlap the plate 0 the two plates traveling in divergent circular paths when the bucket descends, the weighted 1e Ver being lifted and immediately released and the catch e being displaced, as described, on the return of the bucket.

2. In a weighing-machine, the combination of a weighing-bucket, a pivotal beam supporting the same, the catch 0 pivoted to said beam and having the plate 6 said plate being hardened to resist wear and beveled at its outer end on the under side, and a weighted lever having the plate f normally slightly overlapping the plate 6 said plate f being hardened to resist wear and beveled at its inner end on the upper side, the two beveled plates having a cam action upon the return of the bucket, whereby the catch 6 is displaced, as set forth.

3. In a weighing-machine, a frame, a movable weighing-bucket and its supports, and means for feeding material thereto, in combination with a closer pivoted to said bucket, a locking member fixed to the bucket, a latch pivoted to the closer and cooperating with said locking member to lock the closer, and two fixed abutments on the frame, one adapted to operate said latch to unlock the closer when the bucketis moved by a charge of material, and the other adapted to operate said latch to lock the closer when the bucket returns after discharge.

4. In a weighing-machine, a frame, a movable weighing-bucket and its supports, and means for feeding material thereto, in combination with a closer pivoted to said bucket, the cam-plate O a'ffiXed to the bucket and having the inclined edge 2, the vertical edge 3, and the projection 0 the latch c pivoted to said closer and adapted to cooperate with the said portions of the cam-plate as set forth, and the abutments or pins c c affixed to the frame and operating said latch to unlock and look the closer when the bucket is moved.

5. In a weighing-machine, afeed-chute having a shoulder, a weighing-bucket adapted to rise and fall with respect to said chute, its upward movement beinglimited bysaid shoulder, and a packing of felt or similar fibrous material interposed between said shoulder and the mouth of the bucket, whereby dust is prevented from escaping when the bucket is filling, said packing also acting as a buffer to take the impact of the bucket in its upward movement.

6. In a weighing-machine, a feed-chute, a weighin g-bucket adapted to rise and fall with respect to said chute, the chute having a shoulder adapted to limit the upward move ment of the bucket, said chute being prolonged below said shoulder into the mouth of the bucket, and a packing of felt or similar fibrous material interposed between the shoulder and the mouth of the bucket, the said construction and arrangement providing for the retention of dust within the bucket, and the packing acting as a buffer to take the impact of the bucket in its upward movement.

I11 testimony whereof I have affixed my sig nature in presence or" two witnesses.

- ALBION L. F. MITCHELL.

Witnesses:

C. I BROWN, IV. A. RHODES. 

